The Democrat. (Scotland Neck, Halifax Co., N.C.) 1884-1896, 1887-08-19
SCIENTIFIC SCRAPS.

II Is saiQ tlat NJ PaSteQr mas once
more modified his method OF anti-rabic
NEGOTIATIONS. For simple wounds he has
returned to the first system Of mild at
tcuuatcd virus. For bites about the
face and hea and severe bites about the
body more virulcnt medula are used,
but these do not attain the vIrulence in
dicatcd by NJ Pasteur in his last COM
nun cation.
In the opinion of Dr. NJ w. Taylor,
Of the London Epidemiologica Society,
some common kinds Of mould may give
rise to diphtheria. He gives instances
in which serious outbreaks have been
traced to the mould developed on the
wet plaster OF Ieaky walls, while old
f:cces of wool and mouldy skins appear
also to be sources of diphtheric in
fection.
An interesting series of experiments
has been made by DR.. J. w. Frazer on
the influence of our common beverages
on digestion. Among these drinks, he
finds that water is usually the best. Of
infusions, tea or cocoa acts most favor
sbly when bread is eaten, and coffee is
the best for use with meats or eggs.
Eggs ale the best animal food with in
fused beverages, and should be soft
boiled when tea is the beverage, and
hard boiled with coffee or cocoa.
Gold beaters, by hammcring, can re-
duce gold so thin that 282, 900 must be
laid upon each other to produce the
thickness of an inch; yet each leaf is so
perfect and free from holes that one Of
them, laid on any surface, as in gliding
gives the appearance of gold. They arc
SO thin that, If formed into a book, 1900
would only occupy the space of single
leaf of common paper; and an octave
volumn Of an inch thick would have as
many pages as the books Of a we'll
stocked library of 1900 volumes, with
400 pages in each.
According to paper read by Mr..
John Murray, before the Royal Society
of Edinburgh, 2243 cubic miles of rain
fall annually on areas with inland drain
age. Such areas extend to II, 486, $50
square miles, The land draining directly
to the ocean has an area Of A, 211, 900
square miles, Of which 80, 829, $50 square
miles have ten inches or more of rain
fall. The mean discharge from this
area into the ocean is 6569 cubic miles
annually. The total weight of sub
stances carried by this means to the
ocean is more than 5, 900, 600, 900 tons
each year
Galton has pointed out some very GU
rious facts concerning the children of
professional men. He found, from study
of the heredity of the members of some
of the largest scientific societies of Lon
don, that the legal profession presented
the most eminent men and the fewest
idiots. The medical profession came
next and lastly clergylaen, who pro-
duced the smallest number of eminent
men and the largest number of idiots
and fceb!e-minded. The lawyers gave
origin to six times as many eminent men
as the clergy. The clergy gave origin to
six times as many idiots and feeble
minded as the lawyers.
The moon, having a much smaller
mass that the earth, will exert its attrac-
tive influence less strongly; and by the
excrtion of the same strength Gas on
earth) a man could leap into the air to
an astonishing distance, jumping over
the talest buildings with the same ease
that he would clear a low obstruction
here. The same effect would be pro-
duced upon all other bodies. Horses
would travel at a greatly increased
speed, and if the rider was thrown the
consequences of his fall would be much
less serious; the elephant would become
as light-footed as adeer; a stone thrown
by the hand of a careless boy might fall
in an ad djoining town before accomplish
ing its mission of destruction; armies
would engage in battles at great dis
tances from each other; and nearly every
kind OF labor would be lightened,
from the diminished weight of tools and
materials.